However, the red-top is itself the subject of another nominated scoop – the Guardian's coverage of the phone-hacking scandal. Watch the reaction in our video stream above if either title wins.

Covert recordings of Vince Cable and other Lib Dem MPs made by the Daily Telegraph are also up for the same award – a story which resulted in the cabinet minister losing responsibility for adjudicating on News Corp's Sky bid.

It would be lively enough choosing just from the above three – but there are several other contenders in the category.

Also in the frame is the Telegraph's arguably less controversial exposure of David Laws, who, it was revealed, wrongly claimed expenses; the Guardian's WikiLeaks revelations; the Daily Mirror's story about Jamie Bulger killer Jon Venables; the Sunday Mirror's Wayne Rooney scoop; and a Sunday Times investigation into alleged World Cup bid bribery.

The Times leads the way with 18 nominations; the Guardian follows with 17, with the Sunday Times in third place on 14. After the Daily Telegraph and the Mail on Sunday with 12 comes the News of the World with 11.

But this is the point where the number of nominations no longer count – it is instead a night where the lucky winners will behave with unrestrained joy and the losers will, as ever, show as much good grace as they can muster.